Food stamp report shows plenty of waste in Missouri

When it comes to food stamps, Missouri is about as wasteful as they come.

Recently released data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program show that Missouri had the second highest overpayment rate of the 53 states and territories that participate at 6.44 percent last fiscal year. Only Rhode Island was higher, at 6.5 percent.

FOOD STAMP WASTE: Missouri showed one of the highest overpayment error rates in the country.

The Show-Me State’s overall error rate of 7.18 percent (which includes 0.73 percent in underpayments) was tied for third worst. The nationwide average was 3.42 percent.

Accuracy is more important now than ever before. The boon in the number of participants in the food stamp program means the amount of waste grows at an even higher rate.

But the 6.44 percent overpayment rate means Missouri residents got about $94 million more than they were supposed to last year. The underpayment rate of 0.73 percent means other recipients were shorted about $10.5 million.

Rebecca Woelfel, communications director for the Missouri Department of Social Services, said things are looking much better in 2013, with a preliminary error rate of 2.39 percent for the first five months of the fiscal year.

Why the big improvement?

Woelfel said in an email to Missouri Watchdog the department’s family support division, which handles SNAP distribution, has “tightened food stamp policies that contribute to error prone cases” and “enhanced the eligibility determination system.” We attempted to contact Woelfel again via email and phone for clarification on the nature of those policies, but could not reach her.

In her email, Woelfel said that the department’s family support division also solicited assistance from USDA and other experts to determine best practices that work in other states.

Johnny Kampis is a content editor and staff writer at Watchdog.org. Johnny previously worked in the newspaper industry and as a freelance writer, and has been published in The New York Times, Time.com, FoxNews.com and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A former semi-professional poker player, Kampis is writing a book documenting the poker scene at the 2016 World Series of Poker, a decade after the peak of the poker boom. You can follow him on Twitter @TuscaloosaJohn or reach him via email at [email protected]